Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Emergency News on Twitter

The system doesn't require senders to follow @emergencynews when they submit as a reply. However, it does require the follow for direct messages.

This search is linked on the sidebar of this blog as well. This is an organic breaking news system for Tweets.

How this worksLet's say you need to find a missing relative as news breaks.

On your own Twitter, enter:

@emergencynews Has anyone seen John Doe in New Orleans? He lived in the blue house at 123 Main Street.

Anyone who reads this post can respond. They would enter on their own Twitter:

@emergencynews John Doe on Main Street in New Orleans is fine, he's evacuating today (with details).

For other news, anyone can state the news:

@emergencynews There's a house fire at 123 Main Street in Little Town TX

Media use and notificationMedia members can use the @emergencynews Twitter feed as an emergency back-up system or to find news stories with possible sources. For instance, they could contact the person making the inquiry above to get an interview or pinpoint other news.

During a tornado, a journalist can ask:

@emergencynews Exactly where did the tornado touch down in Little Town, Kansas?

Anyone who knows the answer can reply:

@emergencynews It touched down on Main Street near 4th Ave. in Little Town KS.

To make this system work, I request media members with Twitter accounts to follow the emergencynews search feed. Click "Follow" under the photo on the @emergencynews link. As news happens, you're welcome to direct questions to the feed (via reply "@emergencynews") or help others by providing information.